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Verbal Energy
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Wow! Some words are, like, really old!
Even words bearing the stamp of one particular era often go back surprisingly deep into earlier times.
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Why did President Obama double up on 'double down'?
The Monitor's language columnist takes issue with President Obama's use of a gambling idiom in his State of the Union message.
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Schemes on Wall Street and in public policy
It's too bad 'scheme' has such a bad reputation in American English, because we could certainly use a synonym for 'program.'
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A bit of newspeak we wish would go away
To say simply that someone 'was disappeared' when he really was abducted, tortured, and killed is to accept the language of the police states that carry out such actions.
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BRICs, CIVETS, and PIGS: What's in a name?
A look at how financial firms use colorful nicknames to push investments.
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After the holidays, so much to unpack!
The Monitor's language columnist on the usefulness of the suitcase metaphor.
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Looking under the 'eves' at the holidays
How did we end up with meaning both 'day before' and 'evening of'?
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Not just 'closed' but 'exceptionally closed'
Why restaurants closed for special events at the holidays bring the Monitor's language columnist back to a bank strike in Paris.
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The connection makes all the difference
Once again, the ways that computers talk to one another provide useful metaphors for human interactions.
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A new Word of the Year seizes its place?
The most striking thing about one of this year's leading contenders for Word of the Year may be how straightforward it is.
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Are we really good with this? Well, no.
Is 'I'm good' really a universal American response to 'How are you?'
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Watch out for all that pixie dust!
With so many 'pix-' words to keep straight, writers need to take care that their spell-checkers don't lead them astray.
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The wages of typos – in pounds and pence
Surveying the range of typographical error around her, the Monitor's language columnist is tempted to despair; but hope springs eternal.
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Parallel circuits: real and virtual networks
A new editorial project reminds the Monitor's language columnist how computer networks are a rich source of metaphor.
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Acronyms and demonyms: Name that country!
The Monitor's language columnist makes a surprising discovery about Pakistan.
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Calling it a day in the 24/7 workplace
The Monitor's language columnist turns to a radio metaphor as she looks for a new term to signal the end of the workday.
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Those fast-talking Japanese! And Spanish!
Researchers at the University of Lyon confirm that the speakers of some languages really do utter more syllables per second than others.
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Pronouncing Ralph Fiennes
Preparing for a London theater outing, the Monitor's language columnist stumbles upon a YouTube clip purporting to help her get the leading man's name right – but maybe not.
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Do little words give big insights?
In a new book, James Pennebaker argues that people reveal vast amounts of information about themselves through their use of pronouns.
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Words that even editors are afraid of
Editors often have to confront in others' writing words they wouldn't use in their own.
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